By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Nigel Williams-Goss facing his former team on Thursday is uncertain. Before the trip to Spain to face Real Madrid in Round 23 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, Olympiacos head coach Giorgos Bartzokas added the 29-year-old point guard to the injury list.
Nikola Milutinov (foot) will need surgery, confirmed the Greek tactician. Fellow center Moustapha Fall (knee) is sidelined as well.
“We are down two bigs and Williams-Goss is questionable to play,” noted Bartzokas on Wednesday, “Our players will get more playing time and must slightly change positions, but we will try to play hard as usual.”
Reuniting with the Greek powerhouse after a cup of tea with the Utah Jazz in the NBA, a brief spell with Lokomotiv Kuban, and two years with Los Blancos, Williams-Goss launched his fourth EuroLeague campaign. Over 15 games played, he averaged 8.6 points, 3.4 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per contest.
At 12-10, the Reds are tied with three more teams in sixth place of the standings, the lowest seed connected to a direct berth to the Playoffs. According to the new format, teams ranking seventh through tenth will compete in the Play-Ins.
With Milutinov and Fall on the injury list and forced to adjust roles within the squad over the next few weeks, Olympiacos would like to add a new option inside the paint. “We are scanning the market, but at this point, it is hard to find a player ready to contribute immediately,” described Bartzokas.